The Margin

After Allen Field: Lessons from Houston’s Mandatory Buyout Program

Amal Ahmed, Ko Bragg, Danielle Villasana

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Harris County, Texas — which includes Houston — implemented a mandatory flood control buyout program. The Margin’s reporting examines the equity questions and other issues that arose in that effort to remove people from the flood plain. They also captured how the relocation programs damaged social ties and community well-being, and they explored the potential implications for future storm recovery efforts.

The meticulous reporting “looked gorgeous,” one judge wrote. The online presentation included interactive components and “compelling” individual perspectives that humanized the story, they said. The judge also noted the urgency of the subject matter and said it is “broadly applicable to other places in our country and world that will be confronted by the ravages of our changing climate.”